This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Supreme Court’s health care ruling brings relief to sick Americans

Americans who were relying on a U.S. healthcare overhaul to provide them with health insurance heaved a collective sigh of relief after the Supreme Court upheld the law, which aims to extend coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people.

Supporters of the Affordable Healthcare Act celebrate in front of the Supreme Court after the court upheld the legality of the law in Washington June 28. (JOSHUA ROBERTS / REUTERS)

By Julie SteenhuysenReuters

Thu., June 28, 2012

CHICAGO- Americans who were relying on a U.S. healthcare overhaul to provide them with health insurance heaved a collective sigh of relief after the Supreme Court upheld the law, which aims to extend coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people.

Gail Richardson, 59, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, has been uninsured since 2010 and has two autoimmune disorders. She earns $11,000 a year as a freelance writer, not enough to cover living expenses and the current monthly premiums for private insurance.

“It’s not like I need affordable insurance. I need free insurance,” she said.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act led by President Barack Obama, Richardson will likely be eligible for insurance under an expanded Medicaid program for low-income earners now that the highest U.S. court has rejected a challenge to the law’s constitutionality.

Article Continued Below

The law represents the biggest revamp to the $2.6 trillion U.S. healthcare system in 50 years. It requires insurance plans to offer free preventive care services such as mammograms and other cancer screenings, remove lifetime limits on payouts by insurance policies and offer coverage for patients with pre-existing health problems who would otherwise be denied coverage.

The ruling means fewer worries for Marla Tipping’s family, who lives in Minneapolis and have insurance through her husband Bill’s law firm.

Tipping’s 15-year-old son Cam has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to produce extremely high levels of cholesterol. His treatment involves going to the hospital every two weeks to have his blood filtered.

“We’re greatly relieved. I think it’s the right decision. It certainly impacts our family,” Tipping said of the court’s decision to uphold the law.

Cam’s medical expenses are covered through group insurance the family purchases for about $20,000 per year. If they lost their current coverage, they would find it very difficult to find other insurance because of Cam’s pre-existing condition.

“Even given all of our good circumstances, when you have a child with an expensive condition to treat, you have to have a safety net,” she said.

Janine Jones of Placentia, California, suffers from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and a chronic pain disorder known as fibromyalgia. She is on her parents’ insurance now, and has been worried about what the court’s decision will mean for her.

Jones, 25, is one of the estimated 6.6 million young adults that were allowed to join or stay on their parents’ health insurance because of provisions in healthcare law that have already gone into effect.

This has allowed Jones to move out on her own and attend college part time at California State University, Fullerton. She is nearly finished with her degree but with two pre-existing conditions, she has been worried about what comes next.

Jones says she contacted insurance companies to find out what her options would be if she was suddenly unable to stay on her parents’ insurance plan.

One agent was pretty blunt. “She said get a job, or marry someone with insurance,” Jones said.

Delivered dailyThe Morning Headlines Newsletter

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com